Recently, several reports have popped up regarding an unknown number of China’s Z-10 air-to-ground attack helicopters that have been upgraded with graphene to serve as an extra layer of protection. For example, Asia Times reported that "the People’s Liberation Army’s Z-10 attack helicopter is now equipped with extra armor made with the lightweight, structurally rigid graphene semimetal, the latest addition to protect the chopper’s airframe without eating into its effective payload".

A model of the Z-10 assault helicopter inside Tiananmen Square in Beijing

Several websites mentioned a video that appeared on China Central Television showing one of the helicopters with "an extra armor module near its tandem cockpit" touch down after a flight. The video has not been independently verified for authenticity, and Beijing is known to keep its military secrets well under wraps.

Previous models of the Z-10 series did not have extra armor due to engine constraints and designers with the state-owned Aviation Industry Corp. of China had to come up with other types of additional protective gear so the helicopter could carry a sufficient payload.

The Z-10 is primarily designed for anti-tank warfare but has secondary air-to-air capability as well. In aerial warfare Z-10s often need to fly low to attack ground targets, making them vulnerable to anti-aircraft fire.

According to various reports, the bottom and sides of the Z-10 cockpit are protected by a composite graphene armor, and so are the engines and the fuel tank in the middle of the fuselage.